Blog: Discussion of Park Issues

LOSING STATE PARK LAND

11/6/2017

Kohler-Andrae State Park

More clouds are gathering for Wisconsin's publicly owned lands. The DNR with Scott Walker's blessing is in the process of allowing the Kohler Company to take public land in Kohler-Andrae State Park for their private use by amending the Park's master plan.

Master Plan
When land is purchased or donated for a park, the most important process to follow is the development of a Park master Plan. The plan will give life to the park and more importantly assure that the precious natural resources that made the park special are preserved. The plan will inventory the park's resources and design park uses to assure that those resources are preserved by the government that now owns the park and public access and enjoyment is available consistent with the capacity of the natural resources. As with any land ownership there is a sacred bond between the present owner and future generations and the park's master plan cements that bond. So any amendments to a master plan must be done with the utmost care and consideration of maintaining that bond with the future.

Kohler-Andrae State Park
The integrity of the master plan is playing out in real time at Kohler Andrae State Park. Consisting of nearly 1000 acres south of Sheboygan, Kohler-Andrae State Park is composed of two adjacent State Parks, Terry Andrae Park established in 1927 and John Michael Kohler Park established in 1966. Kohler-Andrae includes over two miles of beach and approximately 600 acres of sand dunes along Lake Michigan. after careful scientific analysis and public input. the Kohler-Andrae Master plan was adopted in 1987

The Kohler Company owns 247 acres of land. Adjacent to the ecologically significant northern park boundary, and the company proposed to develop their property into a 18-hole public golf course. So in 2015, DNR received a request from the Kohler Company identifying approximately five acres of Kohler-Andrae park lands needed for their proposed golf course. Kohler proposed to construct and maintain the following on park lands: 1) a roadway and roundabout to access its lands; 2) utility access; and 3) develop a maintenance facility.

The area in discussion is an extension of the State Natural Area across the road and is composed of open and wood sand dune formations complete with rare vegetation and active habitat for wildlife. Typically a representative sample include deer, wild turkeys, Cooper's hawks, pileated woodpeckers, bluebirds and a foxes. Moreover, the dunes harbor important native plants typical for that ecosystem. Additionally, the land Kohler wants was purchased with Land and Water Conservation Act funds for the recreation of the public not a private company and was not donated by the Kohler family.

Amending a Master Plan
In spite of following the established procedures to amend a master plan, the DNR has teamed up with Kohler to support amending the master plan to accommodate a change in use of the northern part of the Park. Master plans for a park are developed to act as a guide for future development and justify necessary expenditures to further its implementation. Master plans establish the level and type of public uses permitted, details the authorized resource management and facility development, and acts as a blueprint for the property, providing for consistent, long-term management, regardless of personnel changes.

The plan considers things like the land, its uniqueness, and the proper long-term use of the land to preserve the natural resources. It also is to assure that the park accommodates the public uses in a safe manner. The recreation needs and use can change over time which can require amendments. However, the paramount consideration is preserving and protecting the land itself and stewarding the public and taxpayer's investment for future generations.

By definition, a master plan can be amended. An amendment is a change in a management classification or sub classification of a property or management area within a property without a change in the goal and objectives for the property.” NR 44.04(1)(c) (emphasis added).

The current goals and objectives, as established by the KASP Master Plan, are to “[p]reserve a representative part of the Lake Michigan shoreline in southeastern Wisconsin, its dunes, vegetation, and wildlife and provide for the recreational and educational activities compatible with preservation and appreciation of the natural resources” and to “[p]provide an intensive educational program emphasizing Lake Michigan, its coastal, natural, and cultural resources. By contrast, the amendment to the master plan is developed to further the private goals of the Kohler Company, and to accommodate the private utilization of a public resource Neither of those further the goals set forth in the master plan. Ironically, the company could use its own land for an entry but chooses state land instead.

Under this amendment the taxpayers would hand over to the Kohler Company part of our state park land for its own profit. We are asked to accept DNR’s justifications for destroying the defining characteristics of an area described as a "Wetland Gem." Moreover, the DNR has misrepresented the impacts of the Kohler requests. The "maintenance facility” referenced is not one, but three buildings and a parking lot totaling almost 30,000 sq. ft. The total easement size is figured from a finished footprint on a diagram with no collateral construction damage calculated. Even worse, DNR is considering allowing Kohler to pay a fee to destroy globally significant ridge and swale wetlands which cannot be mitigated because they took thousands of years to form.

Precedent
So we need to be deeply concerned about what is happening at Kohler-Anrae. In addition, it has the potential to set a precedent which could easily jeopardize many other state park properties and take public land paid for with tax dollars and use it for a private corporate entity.

Friends of Black River Forest Link (for more info)

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help save our wisconsin state Parks

5/20/2017

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When you remember your first meaningful experience with nature it may well have been during a visit to a State park, perhaps it was a family vacation to Door County visiting State Parks like Whitefish Dunes, or Peninsula State Park. That initial experience started an immersion and appreciation for our natural resources for thousands of people, Take that experience and multiply it hundreds of thousands times across our State ---
Whether it was to the majestic Wyalusing State Park on the Mississippi, or Copper Falls in the far North, or Harrington Beach on glorious Lake Michigan or the unique and popular Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo, or Capital Springs Recreation Area less than ten miles south of Madison.

Our state Parks are gems and one of the natural resource keystones that make Wisconsin what it is today. Our Parks act as a primary connection to the natural world for hundreds of thousands Wisconsinites and a significant boost to our tourism economy as well.

Now imagine what our lives and future would be like without those Parks.

We are in danger of losing those parks for future generations. The loss will not be overnight but with a lack of GPR funding as proposed eventually our Parks will become shells of their former selves.

Wisconsin was one of the first states to have a State Park by setting aside thousands of acres of land in the late 1800s for the public. Today, we are confronted with a budget proposal removing public funding for our Parks leaving DNR to try to use fees to meet the shortfall. This will not work. They are treating the Parks system as a commodity not as a natural resource.

Parks are not simply a recreational commodity that can be supported by fees to balance annual budgets. That approach ignores any future park upkeep for the parks' land and stewardship needs, including infrastructure, invasives and wildlife management, and erosion control just to name a few.

Aldo Leopold said it well "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

Not all people can or will pay the increased fees. So the benefits that Parks play in our quality of life will be jeopardized for many. It will be more difficult to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of parks and education about our natural environments will not be as readily available.

Additionally, Wisconsin will rely on a new and unproven model of self-sufficiency for the state parks. National information indicates that other state parks have been largely unsuccessful using fees in totally to fund their operations. Among our neighbors Wisconsin's fees are the highest.

Overall, the impact of state parks on the state and local economies is enormous. Local economies rely on attendees at their State Park to sustain their business. The outdoor recreation industry account for 11.9 billion dollars annually to the economy and parks are a significant part of that. Also, some areas rely on State Parks for their sustenance. All this will be in jeopardy.

Finally, there will be Uncertain Revenue for Long Term Management. Without that management and stewardship the parks will eventually deteriorate, and we are already beginning to see this. Eventually this will lead to calls for privatization.

What can be done ? We are doing it today, but the tasks will continue beyond today. We need to educate, speak up and join, support organizations like the League of Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks, write letters, meet with Legislators, attend hearings, support good candidates or even run for office like I did.

We must carry the message that "Today we take our Parks for granted; tomorrow they may not be here in the way we know them if at all. Parks are resources for future generations and must not be exploited for short term gain."

League of Wisconsin Conservation Voters link

Friends of Wisconsin State Parks link

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Walker proposes dangerous times for state Parks

1/21/2017

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Wisconsin was one of the first states to have a State Park by setting aside thousands of acres of land in the late 1800s. Ironically now under the funding policy imposed by Governor Walker, we may be the State likely to dismantle the Park system as we know it. To most people, a Park is a Park. Ownership is not that important. However, the method of funding and supporting a park can significantly influence people's use and enjoyment of the Park. We are in uncharted waters for our parks with the Walker proposed policy for our State Parks that they shall receive no tax support and instead be sustained by fees and other revenues. In essence this creates an unusual and untried "pay to play" funding model.

Under this mandate, the DNR is treating the Parks system as a commodity to be managed with no tax dollars, and relying on fees and other as yet undetermined revenue sources. This is unsound public policy and will eventually lead to a significantly deteriorated State Park System. There is nothing inherently wrong with using fees to augment public tax support but it is unwise for fees to be the sole source of park support and can lead to disastrous consequences. One has to wonder whether this isn't the first step toward privatizing the Parks. The state's approach is ill conceived for several reasons. Here's why.

1- Parks are long-term natural resource assets. Parks are not simply a recreational commodity that can be managed through the funds raised by fees to balance annual budgets. That approach will most likely ignore any future park planning for either land or stewardship needs, including infrastructure, invasives and wildlife management, and erosion control just to name a few. That is particularly important because management of parks and natural resources must be viewed in a multi-generational continuum. There is a sacred trust to conserve those resources for future generations. Aldo Leopold said it well "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

2- Not all people can or will pay the increased fees. The benefits that Parks play in our quality of life for all people will be jeopardized. Not all people can or will pay the fee for entry. It will be more difficult to enjoy the health benefits both physical and mental of parks as well as the benefit of community with nature. Education about and understanding of natural environments will not be as readily available to everyone but only those who choose to pay.

3- Contributes to Nature Deficit Disorder. By limiting access we add to the risk of losing a generation or more of young people who will have less access to the beauty of nature and thus appreciation for it and understanding of why it must be preserved. The impact long-term will be very significant. It is difficult enough now to compete for young people's attention in the new computer world and this just exacerbates that. As Richard Louv notes in his book, "In nature a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy, a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace" He continues that ... "Nature is often overlooked as a haling balm for the emotional hardships in a child's life."

4- Unproven Model. Wisconsin will rely on a new and unproven model of self-sufficiency for the state's sprawling state parks system. National information indicates that other state parks haven't been able to fund their entire operations with money collected from campers, hikers and other users. Moreover, among the State's neighbors Wisconsin's fees are the highest with two neighbors having no admission fees (Iowa and Illinois). Nearly 30% of parks operations are currently funded from the state's general fund, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Replacing that with other revenue is a very high bar to overcome and probably insurmountable without more cuts into the budget.

5- Impact on Tourism and Local Economies. Overall, the impact of state parks on the state and local economies is enormous. Every travel dollar spent changes hands several times before leaving the locality in which it is spent. This money is paid to private businesses for gas, food, lodging and other goods. As the Park admission fees will be at the highest among Wisconsin's neighboring states, it is evident that the Walker policy will negatively impact overall attendance and tourism dollars. Local economies rely on attendees at their State Park to sustain their business and a drop in attendance will not be good. For some local businesses, state parks are the very basis for their sustenance.

6- Uncertain Revenue Picture. Parks are important locales for native plants and animals. It is unclear how infrastructure maintenance and improvements will be funded and additional lands managed to insure survival of critical plant and animal species. Also it is also unclear about the critical need to manage invasive species in land and water systems. Without that management and stewardship the parks will eventually deteriorate. As President Theodore Roosevelt noted, "A nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets to turn over to the next generations increased in value not impaired."

7- Competition with Other Recreational Options. Part of the competitive attraction of a public park is cost and availability. It is difficult for Parks to compete successfully with higher leveraged private commercial recreational options designed to advertise and attract people to their businesses, like water parks, theme parks. The Parks are not staffed for that competition either.

Failing to support the Parks financially under this new structure may well give the political ammunition to privatization.

For those reasons the Approach by the Governor and some legislators is risky at best and very likely will lead to the deterioration of our 100 year old State Parks system over time.

"Today we take our Parks for granted; tomorrow they may not be here in the same way we knew them if at all. " WGLunney

But there are other ways to pay for and support parks which I will explore in a subsequent post.

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Travels through Time in Dane County Parks

9/30/2016

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I have had the privilege to work with professional staffs and volunteers on many projects and significant venues throughout Wisconsin. They include the majestic Baraboo Hills, the expansive Barneveld Prairies, the Hardwood Forests in our Northland and the ecologically significant Door Peninsula, the Upper Mukwanago River Watershed and of course our treasured spectacular State Parks, including Wyalusing, Devil's Lake and Whitefish Dunes to name a few.

While conservation of those resources is very important to me. I was always drawn back home to Dane County, our parks, our land, and water resources.

Dane County was particularly blessed by Mother Nature and from her children the glaciers. We have some of the finest natural resources and majestic views in the Midwest. We have beautiful rolling hills in the west, expansive majestic prairies in the east and an extraordinary chain of lakes in the middle.

Our area has been recognized by our native predecessors for thousands of years and still is today, as our county has over half a million population and is the fastest growing Wisconsin county.

Why do people love, our green spaces, parks and natural resources?

- Green Spaces enhance the quality of life because of easy access to the outdoors, recreation and its natural beauty.

- Parks, trails and natural resources boost local economies by drawing visitors, and tourists; our county parks receive over two and three quarter million visitors a year which help fuel the economy of our region.

- Good physical and mental health is promoted by Parks and Trails by offering readily available inexpensive facilities for people to use.

- Parks and Resource Areas help prevent flooding and keep our waterways cleaner through the wetland system.

- Programming in Parks serves public interests from natural resource education to providing venues for performing arts, cultural programming, and many forms of recreation.

- Most importantly, it's in our DNA, as hypothesized by the world renowned scientist and Pulitzer Prize winner EO Wilson, a man with whom I had the honor of spending an evening. He propounds that the human species has an instinctive bond with other living things and with the natural world around us. We gain our sustenance from that bond. Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.

Spectacular Natural Resources:
Our County Parks and natural resource areas combine with other preserved lands like those held by the Natural Heritage Land Trust, we have over 30,000 acres in conservation. However, that is barely adequate. Still we have some of the most spectacular natural and cultural resources; whether it's Brigham County Park in the west with one of the best views of Blue Mounds, or whether its:

- Cam Rock County Park in the South East, with trails along Koshkonong Creek;

- Pheasant Branch Conservancy with its natural springs to Indian Lake and its majestic valley,

- The expansive 800 acre Donald Park or the small peaceful Jenni and Kyle Preserve

- The 12,000 year old Skare Archeological Site in the Town of Dunn,

- The Ice Age trail and the unique Westport Drumlin

- The Capital Springs Recreation Area, a Park that I believe will eventually become the Central Park of Dane County,

- Educational venues like Patrick Marsh a natural resource neighboring a middle school in Sun Prairie, which is a laboratory for educating our school children about the natural world.

I cannot tell you how lucky I am to have been a small part in preserving those gems and helping to craft the necklace of green connecting our county parks, natural resource and recreation areas.

Need for Community Support:
I want to highlight the importance of community support in accomplishing our mission. That support manifests itself in Friends groups and volunteer programs. What makes Dane County so special is the support we all, as volunteers, provide to our Parks and our natural resources. We are part of a "special army" of volunteers who breathe life into our natural lands.

That is why I am excited about a new partnership between the Natural Heritage Land Trust and the Madison Community Foundation. This project will increase our capacity to protect and manage land and help build personal connections with our local places and cultivate new conservation leaders, helping to sustain our work into the future.

However, we cannot just look back because we have much work to do. Our County's population is growing -- with that growth we need more land to be preserved to maintain our quality of life;

The Future:
We need to develop more trails and resource areas connecting our existing natural lands including the Georgia O'Keefe Trail near Sun Prairie, a Native American Heritage trail, and the Good Neighbor Trail, as well as the Westport-Cherokee Resource Area to name a few.

We need tasteful visual art in our County Parks. We only have to visit Jenni and Kyle Preserve to experience the extraordinary impact art can have on a Park. Our Parks have unique features and tasteful art can enhance people's experiences and make our Parks destinations.

We need to stay ahead of financial crises and possibly reduced government funding. Dane County has supported us well but In tight times, one of the first areas to be targeted can be funding for parks and Natural Resources. We only have to look at the State Parks and Milwaukee County for scary examples. That is why we have started the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment as a private non-governmental fund to support the parks.

You may ask why do this when that's the government's job. I wrestled with that question but I decided that our parks and natural resources are too important to just trust politicians. (after all I was one of them once). With our County's growth will come more issues that can drain resources in the years to come. We aren't just planting trees for the present but trees for the future under whose shade we may not sit but for those who come after us will.

We need to empower our volunteers and Friends groups as they are our champions. They can assist us in our stewardship of our land and provide for amenities that government will not provide. For example, Friends groups can help provide Naturalists to breathe life into our parks, clear invasives, create internal trails and programming to enhance people's experience and knowledge.

Our natural resources provide a unique experience to our users and an invaluable asset for our future. Visiting and experiencing them gives each of us memories which we will carry with us forever. Those memories cement our bonds with our family, our friends, and our community and with Mother Nature.

"Our parks are not just pieces of land. They are vibrant parts of a community;    they are a source of pride, and places for people to reconnect with the natural beauty around us."

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Health Benefits of parks

6/17/2016

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June through August 2016: Please join the Friends of Dane County Parks as we will be conducting a "Healthy Parks Tour" in Dane County parks this summer. The tour will highlight the role Parks can play in promoting and advancing physical and mental health. We want to promote good healthy lifestyles using some of the most beautiful venues in Dane County. The health benefits of Parks like those in the Dane County Park system are many, including:

research shows that mere contact with the natural world improves physical and psychological health.
studies show that when people have access to Parks they exercise more.
medical journals regularly publish articles on the role of parks in enhancing health.
people commonly use parks in ways that involve physical activity; walking is the most common with bicycling and jogging important as well.
some of the specific health benefits of walking include managing weight, controlling BP, decreasing heart attack risk, strengthening bones and joints, lowering stress levels and preventing depression.
In an era where health costs have become the biggest single expenditure in the US, the health contribution of parks is a bargain.

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Author

Bill Lunney has held leadership positions in many land conservation organizations in Wisconsin. He chaired the Dane County Parks Commission for 30 years, was former president of the Natural Heritage Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin, the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.

LOSING STATE PARK LAND

Kohler-Andrae State Park

help save our wisconsin state Parks

Walker proposes dangerous times for state Parks

Travels through Time in Dane County Parks

Health Benefits of parks

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